LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING – Episode 2

LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING – Episode 2

(a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet Soup)

"Let's start at the very beginning/A very good place to start/When you read you begin with A-B-C…"

I grabbed a lot from the "A" pile, so here's some more "A"-level memories. Today's theatrical recollections include: a rarely done Paul Zindel play, a much-anticipated musical that should have been better than it was, a Cole Porter classic, Margo Channing and Eve Harrington together at last onstage, and a storefront production of one of my favorite musicals. Let's start.

AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE – Civic Theatre, Chicago

 Different program covers and different publisher.

January, 1972; March, 1972. Paul Zindel's and Miss Reardon drinks a little (letter case as indicated on the program), while a financial hit in its 1971 Broadway run despite a short run of 108 performances, is one of those plays that didn't age well. It's a play about three sisters, all educators: one an alcoholic, one mentally unstable and accused of molesting a male student, and one a cold, calculating ice queen who drops in on her family after years of no contact when the family matriarch dies . Pretty grim and hardly the stuff comedies are made of, yet Zindel packed his play with enough zingers to rival Neil Simon. (Interestingly, Neil Simon's seriously-flawed, yet fascinating, The Gingerbread Lady, also about an alcoholic lady, opened in the same season on Broadway. It, however, did not make its money back.) I reread the play a few years back to see if it might be suitable for the theatre company that Bob works with. It still had the laugh lines, but Zindel never successfully married the kitchen-sink type drama with the comedy, and it read a bit like a hot mess. In fact my 21st century opinion of the play is in line with what the Chicago Tribune's William Leonard wrote, and I quote, "Slapstick and tragedy work at cross purposes in And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little…But if Paul Zindel…thought he could make the customers both laugh and cry, it doesn't seem to have worked out that way." Having said that, though, the 21-year-old Jeff thought the play was quite dandy, and the performances of Sandy Dennis, Betty Garrett, and DeAnn Mears were powerful. I mean, seriously, Sandy Dennis and Betty Garrett? C'mon!! I liked it so much I saw it twice. Apparently Chicago audiences liked it despite the lukewarm reviews, for the show, originally scheduled for a four-week run, extended and closed after an eight-week run. Zindel's plays, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, are rarely done today. – at the Civic Theatre, Chicago

THE ADDAMS FAMILY – Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Full-page ad.

December, 2009. Preview. Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth above the title. A trio of Broadway stalwarts sharing "starring" status (Terrence Mann, Carolee Carmello, Kevin Chamberlain). A comic favorite (Jackie Hoffman). Two up-and-rising youngsters (Krysta Rodriguez, Wesley Taylor). Beloved characters from cartoons, TV, and film as the source material. The anticipation was high; so were the expectations. How could it miss? And yet, and yet, it did. Oh, it wasn't a disaster by any means. That actually may have been preferable. Instead it was, well, mediocre. Professional and glitzy, with enough Addams family references to make us boomers happy (finger snaps, iconic poses, etc.), the show overall lacked the wicked and subversive wit of the cartoons, the TV series, and the two films. Stars Lane and Neuwirth brought their star charisma, but neither seemed like they were having much fun with these deliciously over-the-top roles made famous by John Astin and Carolyn Jones on TV and especially Raul Julia and Angelica Huston on film. And someone please explain to me why you would cast a dancer with Neuwirth's creds, and then give her sinfully little to dance? The plot was contrived, but it gave Carolee Carmello a chance to blast the show skyward for its only real moment during the evening with her "Waiting" during the excellent "Full Disclosure" segment which closed Act One. Terrence Mann, poor guy, had an unfortunate and perplexing encounter that bordered on sexual with a tentacled creature that went on for far too long. Kevin Chamberlain's Uncle Fester wanted to talk about love, and he did...endlessly.  Even the ever reliable Jackie Hoffman was pushing too hard, trying her best to put across the meh material. No one was terrible; nothing was poorly executed. It just sat there. Considering the talent involved, that was as surprising as it was sad. – at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago

Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh (snap, snap): The Chicago critics and bloggers were a mixed bag, but, if theatreinchicago.com is to be believed (6 Highly Recommended; 6 Recommended; 2 Somewhat Recommended) mainly positive in their assessment of the musical. Changes were made, the original directors were replaced by Jerry Zaks, but kept their directorial credit, and the show opened on Broadway to almost unanimous pans. (Link to the Variety review….https://variety.com/2010/legit/reviews/the-addams-family-1117942554/) As in Chicago, the show did seriously good box office, largely, I assume, on the bring-in-the-money power of Nathan Lane and, to a lesser extent, Bebe Neuwirth. Without those two leads, the show's finances faltered and it closed in the red after a respectable run of 35 previews and 722 performances. Since then, The Addams Family has been extensively reworked, went on a successful 15-month tour, and has been a popular choice for amateur/school groups. Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh (snap, snap)!

ANYTHING GOES

– Stephen Sondheim Theatre, New York

August, 2011. Ethel Merman is said to have quipped that Anything Goes is about "a girl on a boat." Short, sweet, and in this case, absolutely correct. The triple-threat talents of the delicious Sutton Foster were on ample display in this mostly-satisfying version of this Cole Porter classic. When the show stuck to its, frankly, ridiculous plot and sang and danced, it worked. When it tried to be a "book" musical, it was not as successful. The cast was loaded with Grade-A talent: John McMartin, who should have been declared a National Theatre Treasure years ago; Joel Grey, impishly delightful as Moonface Martin; Kelly Bishop, the original Tony-winning Sheila of A Chorus Line; Walter Charles, a terrific Albin in the tour of La Cage aux Folles when it played Chicago; Adam Godley, Laura Osnes, Jessica Stone, and a polished Josh Franklin filling in for Colin Donnell as Billy Crocker. Not to diminish the talents of any of these folks, Sutton Foster was the reason to see this. Her huge, warm smile with an effervescence that would challenge the best champagne anchored the proceedings. No surprise when she won the Tony for Leading Actress in a Musical at the 2011 Tonys. And big applause to those fabulous men and women in the pit! – at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Chicago

– Cahn Auditorium (Music Theater Works), Evanston, IL 

August, 2018. And then there was this version. Erica Evans, the singular Equity member in the cast, played Reno Sweeney and blared everything out with no attempt at subtlety or variance in delivery. It was just loud. When she wasn't singing, loudly, she was doing her damnedest, and loudly so, to channel Ethel Merman, all volume and brass and no interpretation, instead of giving us her take on the role.  I blame director Rudy Hogenmiller for that. The production's costumes were fine, but the scenic elements looked cheap. Low point of the afternoon was during the second act when the wagon representing the brig failed to roll down to its spot and both actors in the scene stayed where they were!! No apparent realization that they weren't where they were supposed to be and adjust accordingly, so the whole scene was played upstage. Amateur stuff. The orchestra was excellent, as always with Music Theater Works. Glad we had a Goldstar comp for this. – at the Cahn Auditorium, Evanston, IL

And then there was this production: In the spring of 2019, a colleague of Bob's was the musical director of a production of Anything Goes at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and invited us to the closing performance. We were blown away! The exuberance and talent on display were amazing. The dance numbers were superb. If you didn't notice how young the actors were, you'd've thought you were at a professional Equity production. This beat the socks off of the Evanston production.

ALL ABOUT EVE – Noel Coward Theatre, London

May, 2019. Director Ivo van Hove pulled many A View from the Bridge and Network staging tricks out of his toolbox, which resulted in a "Been there, seen it, Ivo" production. Actually, I found van Hove's staging overall on the unimpressive side. And seriously, Ivo, was it absolutely necessary to see Margo puke in the toilet via video screen during the party scene? What did you promise Gillian Anderson for her to agree to this? This was a slavish homage to the film, though interestingly the program stated source material also included Mary Orr's excellent play version, The Wisdom of Eve. Gillian Anderson, as Margo, apparently was directed to imitate Bette Davis' vocal cadences and attitude, resulting in a professional, competent performance, but not an exciting or fresh one, and I love Gillian Anderson, so this was disappointing. Lily James fared better as Eve, but for my money, the best thing in this high-priced and, frankly, over-priced show was Monica Dolan's engaging and spirited Karen Richards. Enjoyed it; didn't faint over it. Rent the film. - at the Noel Coward Theatre, London

BONUS SHOW (because it was mistakenly filed under "A")

110 IN THE SHADE – Theater Wit (BoHo Theatre), Chicago

November, 2018. 110 in the Shade is one of my top ten favorite musicals. The book sometimes creaks, but the score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is one of the musical theatre's glories. Unfortunately, BoHo Theatre's production was a somewhat indifferent affair and was at its best with the performances of the Curry men, which, frankly, shouldn't be the case. The vocals were serviceable throughout, but never soared. "Rain Song" should thrill; it didn't. "Old Maid" should be the act one emotional peak; it was mostly screeching with a soupçon of interpretation. File was underplayed and on the dull side. Starbuck was not very charismatic and lacked the sexual energy essential to the role. Lizzie was either loud or angry, often both, which made her not very likeable. In fact, I wanted to shout at her to stop her whining. The direction was often aimless, and the limited choreography was just sad. This was the second local production of a musical in my top ten that I'd seen that disappointed. (Porchlight's overrated Gypsy was the previous week.) The bloggers all seemed to faint over the leading lady's vocals. Guess they like their songs loud and unfocused. Wish I'd skipped this. - at Theater Wit, Chicago

And with that, I'll close another edition of Remembrances of Performances Past. Social distancing! Do it. Stay at home!

© 2020 Jeffrey Geddes

"P" SOUP – THE SEQUEL OF THE RETURN…HUH?

"P" SOUP – THE SEQUEL OF THE RETURN…HUH?

("P" Soup is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet Soup)

More "P" Soup!

I wanna be a producer of a parade where everyone is comfy-cozy in their pajamas.

THE PRODUCERS

– Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

February, 2001. Last tryout performance before heading to New York. The atmosphere outside of the Cadillac Palace was insane. People were literally going up and down the line of audience members waiting to enter the theatre and offering to buy their tickets. I even heard someone say they'd pay $600 for a pair. (And, yes, I thought about it…briefly. Figured if someone was willing to pay that much money, I'd better see the damn thing.) The buzz had been overwhelming; the reviews ecstatic. Anticipation was palpable. And I'm happy to say the show delivered on all fronts. It was a triumph the likes of which I had seldom seen. Stellar performances by Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Gary Beach, Roger Bart, Cady Huffman, and Brad Oscar, filling in for the injured Ron Orbach (Oscar would replace Orbach for the New York opening), had the audience in an almost continuous state of hysterical laughter. Susan Stroman's direction and choreography were inventive, effective, and memorable. I mean, seriously, the "Along Came Bialy" number with the walkers? Brilliant! The Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan book kept the laughs in constant supply and Mel Brooks' score won't win any awards for originality or musical theatre brilliance, but it was tuneful, bright, and toe-tappingly satisfying. "Springtime for Hitler" was ridiculously over-the-top. For me, the highlight was Lane's "Betrayed," a tour-de-force that got the biggest ovation of the night. For a pre-Broadway tryout, it was in sensational shape, ready for New York critics in my opinion. When The Producers opened in New York, the lines at the box office went around the corner, the critics raved, and at the 2001 Tony Awards, it won in every category in which it was nominated, winning a record twelve awards. The Chicago performance was, and remains, a singular experience. – at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago

– Aronoff Center (Proctor & Gamble Hall), Cincinnati

November, 2002. A funny thing happened to The Producers in its third stop on the "Max" tour…at least for me. And that was, the show I found exuberant, fresh, fabulously funny, deliciously irreverent, and so wrong in all the right ways, was now slick and professional, knowing full well the material was guaranteed to get laughs and therefore everyone involved could just relax and not give it 100%. They could chill out at, oh, 85-90%. The capacity crowd at the Aronoff Center's Proctor & Gamble Hall, a 2700-seat barn, pretty, but with zero intimacy, didn't give a hoot that they weren't getting the same show I saw twenty months earlier in Chicago. My companion, in fact, found it wonderful. But the truth is, in Chicago, that incomparable and definitive cast, the fresh direction and choreography, the hysterical book and score, and the physical production itself all combined to make the theatrical equivalent of a positive perfect storm, if that makes any sense. Here in Cincinnati, though everything looked and sounded the same, it simply wasn't. I frankly did not like Lewis J. Stadlen, playing Max. He underplayed everything, especially in his underwhelming "Betrayed." Broadway vets Fred Applegate (Franz Liebkind), Angie Schworer (Ulla), neighboring Covington, KY native Lee Roy Reams (Roger De Bris), and Jeff Hyslop (Carmen Ghia…he would leave the tour after the Aronoff engagement, and, according to the local review, was absent on press night. Was he fired?) were all fine and hit their marks with assurance. I did like Don Stephenson's Leo a lot. He had charm to spare and just the right amount of nerdiness. The local reviewers and audiences ate it up. I didn't. – at the Aronoff Center (Proctor & Gamble Hall), Cincinnati

PARADE

– Vivian Beaumont Theatre, New York

December, 1998. Preview performance. Somber. Unrelenting. Brilliant. The tree that stood tall and foreboding throughout the show set the mood. The story of Leo Frank and the travesty of his trial and execution at the hands of a lynch mob was told with integrity and honesty under the direction of master director Harold Prince with just-right choreography by Patricia Birch. Broadway vets J.B. Adams, Don Chastain, John Hickok, Herdon Lackey, Evan Pappas, and Rufus Bonds, Jr. provided sterling support. The show, however, rests on its two main characters, Leo and Lucille Frank, and those two parts could not possibly have been in better hands than Brent Carver and Carolee Carmello's. Two incredible actors delivering exquisite, nuanced, deeply involving performances.  Don't believe me? Revel in the glory of Carmello's "You Don't Know This Man." Carver and Carmello's duet near the end of the show, "All the Wasted Time," left the audience breathless. This was a show in which you could hear a pin drop, and you often did. "The Factory Girls/Come Up to My Office" segment during Act One's trial is hands down one of the creepiest and most disturbing numbers in musical theatre, right up there with "Yellow Shoes" from The Visit. Not a happy show, the Tony that year went to Fosse, about as safe as you can get. However, Alfred Uhry would win a Tony for Best Book of a Musical and Jason Robert Brown would win for Best Score. Sadly, Parade never found its audience and it ran less than 100 performances. I am simply mad about this show. – at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, New York

– Berkeley Street Upstairs Theatre, Toronto

January, 2011. When it was announced that Parade would make its Canadian premiere in Toronto, Bob and I immediately made plans to see it. And that, as they say, was a mistake. A co-production from Studio 180 and Acting Up Stage Company, this was a hot mess. Full stop. Poorly designed, poorly directed, poorly acted, and with two competent, but unexciting leads, we hated every minute. Plus our seats were mere inches from the too-loud orchestra. Had our seats not been on the far side of the theatre and we would have had to inconvenience our entire row and walk in front of the stage to exit, we would have left almost immediately. We did at the interval. Sad, sad, sad. – at the Berkeley Street Upstairs Theatre, Toronto

– Writers Theatre, Glencoe, IL

July, 2017. In Writers Theatre sparkling, but cold, new home, Parade was a textbook example of just how good Chicago theatre can be when talented folks at the top of their game get together and put on a show. This was simply superb, from beginning to end. My one quibble was that director Gary Griffin still hadn't mastered directing in a thrust environment and directed the show as though it were being performed in a proscenium house. Fortunately, we were in what would be center orchestra in a proscenium house, so we didn't miss a thing. Patrick Andrews and Brianna Borger as Leo and Lucille Frank were so, so good, vocally and acting-wise. They were supported by a cast of fourteen actors, not a weak one in the bunch. These sixteen actors brought this show to brilliant life. Bravo all! The best show we'd seen at Writers…and our last until things change on the artistic level, which, I believe, will never happen, at least by choice, at this North Shore society darling. – at Writers Theatre, Glencoe

THE PAJAMA GAME – American Airlines Theatre, New York

February, 2006. Preview performance. For many in the capacity audience on February 19, 2006, I suspect the highlight of Roundabout Theatre's absolutely delightful production of 1954's The Pajama Game was at the finale's "The Pajama Game" when Harry Connick, Jr. appeared shirtless and wearing pajama bottoms. The audience went wild and for good reason. Connick was a total muffin of masculine tastiness. (Off subject…if only his performance in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever had even a smidgen of that sexiness, perhaps that show wouldn't rate as the worst show I've ever seen to date.) Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, this was a lovingly produced slice of musical theatre 1950s fluff. The show has always had a terrific score, and this cast did it full justice. Connick's singing was better than his acting, but he gave it his all, and he just appeared to be having a grand time. His piano riff during "Hernando's Hideaway" made that song the show's undisputed highlight. Co-star Kelli O'Hara was feisty, funny, and sang the crap out of her songs. Michael McKean (Hines), Roz Ryan (Mabel), Joyce Chittick (Mae), Peter Benson (Prez), and Megan Lawrence (Gladys) provided top-notch support, with Lawrence being especially funny and endearing throughout. Curiously, Marshall gave "Steam Heat" to Mae instead of Gladys, and the number was excellent, but I missed the precision and snap of the Fosse original. I'm grateful that Marshall didn't feel the need to update or reimagine the material, but instead treated the show with respect and affection. Yes, much now seems dated (a 7 ½ cent raise?), but when done as a period piece with no irony or affectation, The Pajama Game offers theatergoers a lovely break from the cares of the everyday world. I loved it. – at the American Airlines Theatre, New York

Miscellaneous Tidbits:

o For the record, Connick put on a sleeveless undershirt for bows. Sigh.

o The Pajama Game won the 1955 Tony Award for Best Musical, would run for 1063 performances, and be made into a terrific film starring John Raitt and Doris Day.

o Composer/lyricist team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross wrote only two complete shows together, The Pajama Game and the following year's Damn Yankees. Ross died at the young age of 29 in 1955. Richard Adler wrote the music and lyrics for two flops, Kwamina and Music Is, but never had another success on Broadway.

A sequel to a sequel! Well, that's it for "P" Soup. Until next time!

© 2018 Jeffrey Geddes